How the non-oil export sector is changing the narrative of the Nigerian economy, By Chukwudi Iwuchukwu
There comes a time in a nation’s story when the old engines of prosperity run out of steam. For Nigeria, that moment is now.
Crude oil, once the country’s lifeblood, no longer guarantees stability. Revenues are dwindling, global prices are unpredictable, and the cost of dependence has become unbearable. What lies ahead is uncertain, but one truth is clear: Nigeria must learn to earn beyond oil.
The Turning Point
Economists have long agreed that the silver bullet for Nigeria’s next growth phase lies in the non-oil sector, from agriculture to solid minerals, from processed foods to digital exports. These are the pillars of a diversified economy that can survive oil shocks and global recessions alike. Encouragingly, the numbers are beginning to tell a new story.
In just the first quarter of 2025, Nigeria earned $1.791 billion from non-oil exports, a remarkable 24.75% increase from the same period in 2024. But behind these figures stands a quieter force, the financial architecture that powers it all. And at the centre of that architecture is Zenith Bank.
The Institution Behind the Movement
Over the past five years, Zenith Bank has emerged as the single largest financial enabler of Nigeria’s non-oil export ecosystem, commanding nearly 40% of total export transaction value in the sector.
Its influence cuts across the full spectrum of Nigeria’s non-oil exports, from solid minerals and agricultural produce to commodities, fertilizers, and processed foods.
Behind every major exporter, whether shipping cashew from Kogi, cocoa from Ondo, or lithium from Nasarawa, there’s a Zenith Bank account facilitating the trade, managing foreign remittances, and ensuring compliance with international financial standards.
The Engine of Dollar Inflows
In the last three years alone, Zenith Bank has processed over $6 billion in export remittances, establishing itself as the No. 1 Export-Remittance Bank in Nigeria.
This leadership is not coincidental; it is the result of decades of strategic investment in trade finance, risk management, and cross-border payment technology.
At a time when dollar scarcity continues to threaten macroeconomic stability, Zenith’s role has become indispensable. Every dollar remitted through Zenith isn’t just a corporate transaction; it is a contribution to the nation’s foreign exchange buffer, a breath of life for an economy under strain.
From Policy to Practice: The Export Seminar
Zenith’s commitment extends beyond finance into thought leadership. Through its Annual Non-Oil Export Seminar, the bank brings together exporters, policymakers, and regulators to explore the dynamics of global trade, logistics, and value addition. These forums have become strategic incubators for new ideas, aligning Nigeria’s private sector ambitions with the realities of international markets.
Complementing this is the Zero-to-Hero Export Program, a mentorship and training platform that transforms ordinary Nigerians into globally competitive exporters. From understanding documentation to mastering logistics, Zenith Bank is not just funding exports; it is creating exporters.
A Future Built on Value, Not Volume
In an era where global trade is defined by efficiency, trust, and digital agility, Zenith Bank continues to set the benchmark. Its export operations combine deep financial expertise with cutting-edge digital solutions, ensuring that exporters experience speed, transparency, and global credibility at every stage of their journey.
But beyond the systems and seminars lies something more profound: a vision. A vision of a Nigeria that earns not by extraction, but by creation. A Nigeria whose strength is measured not by barrels sold, but by value produced.
Conclusion: The Zenith Standard
When the story of Nigeria’s economic transformation is told, it will remember those who looked beyond oil and saw opportunity in the ordinary.
Zenith Bank will stand among them, not just as a financial institution, but as a nation-building partner, an architect of a new economic order, and a living example of how strategic foresight can turn crisis into creation.
At this crossroads, while others are asking what the future holds, Zenith Bank is already helping Nigeria build it.
*Chukwudi Iwuchukwu, a policy advocate writes in from Lagos.